Folic Acid News and Research

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Folic acid is a B vitamin. It helps the body make healthy new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. For women who may get pregnant, it is really important. When a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, it can prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine.

Foods with folic acid in them include leafy green vegetables, fruits, dried beans, peas and nuts. Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products also contain folic acid. If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods you eat, you can also take it as a dietary supplement.

Multiple micronutrient supplement during pregnancy reduces pre-term births, increases infant birth weight

A multivitamin given daily to pregnant women in rural Bangladesh reduced pre-term births, increased infant birth weight and resulted in healthier babies overall, according to the large randomized trial conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers.

24 Dec 2014

Pregnant women lacking vitamin E nearly twice as likely to have miscarriage

Pregnant women in Bangladesh with low levels of the most common form of vitamin E are nearly twice as likely to have a miscarriage than those with adequate levels of the vitamin in their blood, according to new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

3 Dec 2014

Taking folic acid supplementation before conception reduces risk of SGA at birth

Taking folic acid before conception significantly reduces the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) at birth, suggests a new study published today (26 November) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

26 Nov 2014

Vitamin B12, folic acid supplements may not reduce risk of memory and thinking problems

Taking vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements may not reduce the risk of memory and thinking problems after all, according to a new study published in the November 12, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study is one of the largest to date to test long-term use of supplements and thinking and memory skills.

13 Nov 2014

Researchers develop DNA-based drug delivery system that targets cancer cells

Biomedical engineering researchers have developed a drug delivery system consisting of nanoscale "cocoons" made of DNA that target cancer cells and trick the cells into absorbing the cocoon before unleashing anticancer drugs. The work was done by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

14 Oct 2014

Medac Pharma launches Rasuvo (methotrexate) injection for patients with RA, pJIA and psoriasis

Medac Pharma, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company, has announced the launch of its lead product Rasuvo (methotrexate) injection for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), poly-articular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) and psoriasis in the U.S.

6 Oct 2014

Epidurals and reduced postpartum depression: an interview with Dr. Zakowski

The “maternity blues”, which resolve within 10 days of giving birth, occurs in up to 80% of new moms. A major depressive episode, by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria, is defined as having at least a 2-week period of persistent depressed mood ...

23 Sep 2014

Study examines relationship between maternal iron intake and offspring autism risk

Mothers of children with autism are significantly less likely to report taking iron supplements before and during their pregnancies than the mothers of children who are developing normally, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found.

23 Sep 2014

Food allergies in inner-city children: an interview with Dr. Robert Wood

The general interest is in trying to better define the true prevalence of food allergy; not just how common it is, but whether it's becoming more common over time.

22 Sep 2014

Gap in stillbirth rates between indigenous and non-indigenous women in Australia is closing

The gap in stillbirth rates between indigenous and non-indigenous women in Queensland, Australia, is closing, however indigenous women are still at risk of stillbirth due to preventable causes, find researchers in a new study published today (3 September) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG).

4 Sep 2014

B vitamins do not prevent Alzheimer's disease

Taking B vitamins doesn't slow mental decline as we age, nor is it likely to prevent Alzheimer's disease, conclude Oxford University researchers who have assembled all the best clinical trial data involving 22,000 people to offer a final answer on this debate.

15 Jul 2014

Medac Pharma's Rasuvo injection gets FDA approval for RA, pJIA and psoriasis

Medac Pharma, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company focused on the development of new molecules and improving the effectiveness of existing medicines, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Rasuvo, a subcutaneous injectable methotrexate (MTX) therapy delivered in an auto-injector for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) and psoriasis.

14 Jul 2014

Parents should take initiative to make sure their hungry teens have healthy fare to eat

Refrigerators and pantries across the country are bracing for the seasonal assault from teenagers who are now done with school and will eat most of their meals at home for the summer months.

4 Jun 2014

Hispanic women urged to be informed about pregnancy and baby health

Hispanic women are significantly more likely to have a baby with a neural tube birth defect, and nearly a quarter of all preterm births in the United States are Hispanic, according to a new report from the March of Dimes.

4 Jun 2014

Female mice deprived of dietary zinc before conception experience fertility problems

Female mice deprived of dietary zinc for a relatively short time before conception experienced fertility and pregnancy problems and had smaller, less-developed fetuses than mice that ingested zinc during the same times, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

30 May 2014

Folic Acid News and Research

Further Reading

Multiple micronutrient supplement during pregnancy reduces pre-term births, increases infant birth weight

Pregnant women lacking vitamin E nearly twice as likely to have miscarriage

Taking folic acid supplementation before conception reduces risk of SGA at birth

Vitamin B12, folic acid supplements may not reduce risk of memory and thinking problems

Researchers develop DNA-based drug delivery system that targets cancer cells

Medac Pharma launches Rasuvo (methotrexate) injection for patients with RA, pJIA and psoriasis

Epidurals and reduced postpartum depression: an interview with Dr. Zakowski

Study examines relationship between maternal iron intake and offspring autism risk

Food allergies in inner-city children: an interview with Dr. Robert Wood

Gap in stillbirth rates between indigenous and non-indigenous women in Australia is closing

B vitamins do not prevent Alzheimer's disease

Medac Pharma's Rasuvo injection gets FDA approval for RA, pJIA and psoriasis

Parents should take initiative to make sure their hungry teens have healthy fare to eat

Hispanic women urged to be informed about pregnancy and baby health

Female mice deprived of dietary zinc before conception experience fertility problems

Analytik announces UK and Ireland release of the SciAps Inspector 500 SWIR Raman for the pharmaceutical industry

Pemetrexed plus erlotinib shows benefits in NSCLC

Drinking alcohol before pregnancy linked to intestinal birth defect

Mother's diet before conception can permanently affect how her child's genes function

Researchers evaluate rice consumption against overall diet quality and key nutrient intakes

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